Viola Davis, who portrays tough-as-nails law professor/defense attorney Annalise Keating on ABC’s breakout hit How To Get Away With Murder, is set to produce another ABC drama project about a powerful female lawyer, this time on the other side of the courtroom aisle.

Davis and her producing partner Julius Tennon have teamed with producer Debra Martin Chase (Sparkle) for Conviction, a legal drama inspired by the life of Kym Worthy, the chief prosecutor of Wayne County, MI, known as the toughest woman in Detroit. The script is being written by Jason Wilborn (Damages), with Jeff Melvoin (Army Wives) on board as showrunner.

Davis and Tennon executive produce through their JuVee Productions, Martin Chase through her Martin Chase Prods. ABC Studios, where Martin Chase Prods. has an overall deal, is the studio. Also executive producing are Kim Swann and Leah Keith who brought Worthy’s story to Hollywood, and Melvoin, while Wilborn serves as co-executive producer and Martin Chase Prods.’ Charles Pugliese as producer. Worthy is a consultant.

Worthy became the second African-American to serve as a county prosecutor in Michigan when she was appointed as chief prosecutor of Wayne County in 2004. She is known for a number of high-profile cases, like filing charges against Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, and her campaign to clear a massive backlog of 11,000 unprocessed rape test kits in Detroit.

In addition to Conviction, Swann is developing several projects with Worthy as her producing partner. Keith is adapting her novel A Rented Life into a feature. At ABC and ABC Studios, Martin Chase Produs. also has a limited series in development based on the book Catherine The Great by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Robert Massie with a script by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Michael Cristofer (Gia).

Wilborn, Melvoin, JuVee Productions, and Martin Chase Prods. are repped by CAA. Keith, Swann, and Worthy are represented by ICM.

7 Comments

Not sure why people would watch this. She’s the D.A. of a dying city with no interesting cases beyond that of an unknown mayor and a bunch of neglected rape kits. Yikes.

Mia • on Nov 25, 2014 4:11 pm

Not true at all. You clearly don’t know anything about this woman. I hope this goes to series. I’ll be watching.

Joanie • on Dec 2, 2014 8:08 am

Good for you, I’ll be watching also. People love to spit on you when they think you’re out for the count. Famous quote of Maya Angelou “Still I Rise” That’s us “Detroit” Booyah!

Anonymous • on Nov 25, 2014 5:28 pm

Don’t see why you felt the need to comment negativity. Detroit is thriving and it’s people like you who get your pseudo-facts from the news who make us Detroitera proud to rub FACTS in your face.

Anonymous • on Dec 3, 2014 5:10 pm

How do you know she doesn’t have any interesting cases? And obviously you know the mayor since you are commenting on him. So negative you are.

Fabulous • on Nov 25, 2014 5:15 pm

She’s a dynamic black woman of wonderful Detroit, Michigan.

Plain as day • on Nov 26, 2014 7:56 am

Clearly some press release or interview from the creators was granted and their description of the show sounds pretty boring. You think they would’ve led with their best stuff. I think they did, and it leaves a lot to be desired.